What role should a Feng Shui consultant play in the interior design of a home? Many interior designers are apprehensive when they are told that they have to work with a Feng Shui Consultant. This fear is not unfounded.
I have come across many Feng Shui consultants who insist on using a certain colour or placing a certain item in a certain place that do not go well with the design.
In my opinion Feng Shui consultants should not try to be interior designers unless they happen to be skilled in the area. After all, interior designers are interior designer because they have the gift of design.
What then are the roles of the consultant and the designer and when do one stop and the other begin?
I believe that the Feng Shui Consultant’s role is to ensure that the design is Feng Shui compliant while the Interior Designer’s role is to deliver a practical and aesthetic design that meet the owner’s requirements.
It is the consultant’s responsibility to identify the auspicious and inauspicious locations of the house and suggest potential locations for critical spaces such as the main door, kitchen and bedrooms. The tilt of the main door (if required), the orientation of the stove and beds should also be made known as they will affect the design design.
In addition the consultant should also provide a set of ‘best practices’ or ‘guidelines’ to the interior designer so that he can incorporate them into the design.
In the process, the design may bounce around many times between the owners, designer and the consultant. In my opinion the consultant’s role is to ensure compliance to Feng Shui practices and his recommendations should be limited to that. The rest should be between the designer and the owner.
What if there is a conflict of opinion? I think the Feng Shui Consultant should strongly urge the owner to follow your recommendations in areas that are critical e.g. the location and orientation of the main door, the location and orientation of the stove etc. In less critical areas e.g. choice of colors for the living room, the consultant should provide input and alternatives to allow the designer to develop a practical and aesthetic design.
Let me give you an example using the Eight Mansions system.
For a house that sits north and face south, the Sheng Qi (or Living Qi) location is in the SE sector of the house. In you are familiar with the Eight Mansions system you will know that Sheng Qi is Wood ‘Qi’.
The SE is also associated with Wood ‘Qi’ which means that the auspicious Sheng Qi is supported by the sector. This is a good combination and the sector can be used.
We can further enhance the sector by introducing more wood items (same as the sector) or water items (since water produce wood). It can be a water fountain (water element), indoor plants (wood element) or you can use colours (green for wood and blue for water).
The consultant should suggest these alternatives to the designer and let the designer and the owner made their own decision.
I believe that if you take this approach, you will have a much harmonious relationship with the interior designers that you inevitably have to work with.
